Poetry Contest
by SinisterBug
Summary: The Mugiwara run out of stuff to do. As a result, fluff and silliness occur.


Just another fluffy piece I wrote but don't think I ever posted _anywhere_. This one is purely fun and waaaay too sappy.

Warnings: OOC, Sap

**Into the Dark** belongs to **Death Cab for Cutie**, I didn't write it, I'm just pretending that a green haired guy did. XD

* * *

"Why don't you try it, Swordsman-san?"

Zoro looked up from his feigned sleep. Robin held a pen out to him and offered him a sheet of paper. He snorted as he saw his crewmates all concentrating on their own writing. He closed his eyes again.

"Not a poet."

"Che. Don't waste your time on him, Robin-chwaan, the Neanderthal probably doesn't even know how to write."

Usopp burst out into laughter and the chatting and writing continued. Robin had been reading a book of poetry when somehow Luffy got caught up in it, and Nami suggested they do a poetry competition to waste away the hours. There was barely a wind around and they had been somewhat stuck on this particular piece of ocean. Nami had assured them the wind would pick up again at some point, but in the meantime they had cleaned the boat, played cards, went swimming, fishing, and just about everything else. Zoro had slept through most of it. He half listened when Robin read a few example of poetry for the contest, but was uninterested otherwise.

Normally in any competition that involved Sanji he'd put his best forward, but somehow winning in a poetry contest again the pervert cook wasn't something he wanted to add to his resume. The prize wasn't exactly anything to get excited over either: a piece of the chocolate stash from the kitchen. Lame.

Luffy's poem was a drawing of Frankie without his speedo. Second place. Usopp's poem was an epic adventure about himself. Chopper's poem was about sakura and it won first place. Sanji almost got smacked for his poem, as it described in great detail every beautiful aspect about Robin and Nami down to the generous shape of their breasts, etc. Frankie's poem was about his Brothers and it won third place. Nami chose not to participate, as she knew she need only ask the aho-cook for chocolate and he'd give it to her anyway.

Zoro _did_ take a piece of paper and a pencil up to the crow's nest with him that night. He couldn't help it. The words began forming in his head as he watched the stupid chef bent over, scribbling on the stupid piece of paper he wrote the retarded poem on earlier.

Hell yes he knew how to read and write, he used to keep a journal until Yosaku found it during their travels and read it aloud to Johnny. No use in leaving any evidence of your feelings or thoughts behind. It wasn't particularly anybody's business anyway.

But he couldn't help himself as the idea formed in his head, inspired by the thought of his life now and how it would end someday. He always used to think first of whether or not he'd achieved his goal. But for some reason now… images flashed through his mind, of Sanji standing there in his suit and tie, waving, grinning stupidly.

_Love of mine some day you will die  
But I'll be close behind  
I'll follow you into the dark  
_  
_No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white  
Just our hands clasped so tight  
Waiting for the hint of a spark  
If Heaven and Hell decide  
That they both are satisfied  
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs_

_If there's no one beside you  
When your soul embarks  
Then I'll follow you into the dark_

_You and me have seen everything to see  
From Bangkok to Calgary  
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down  
The time for sleep is now  
It's nothing to cry about  
Cause we'll hold each other soon  
The blackest of rooms_

_If Heaven and Hell decide  
That they both are satisfied  
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs_

_If there's no one beside you  
When your soul embarks  
Then I'll follow you into the dark  
Then I'll follow you into the dark_

When he was finished he scowled at the rather emotional piece of himself he'd just scribbled on the unassuming piece of paper.

_Well, it's out of your system. Just don't leave the evidence behind._

It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if this piece of paper found its way into Sanji's hands. They had come to a calm understanding early on; blow off steam together and destroy anyone that might come between them. At least, that was Zoro's point of view concerning other men anyway. Plenty of women looked at and flirted with Sanji. Zoro didn't care, they didn't mean anything and he knew it. But the swordsman hadn't hesitated in making it _crystal_ clear to a certain fire-using older brother of their captain that Zoro did not, in fact, share. Sanji only blushed and pretended to be pissed at the time, but the blond chef had thrown _quite_ a shit fit when Zoro met up with his old buddy Saga and got mixed up in some weird nonsense.

But beyond the occasional hormone-induced jealousy, there wasn't much in the way of romance between the two. What Zoro wrote was simply a wordy extension of how he felt. But the shitty cook really didn't need to know that.

He gave the wadded up paper a good toss overboard and snoozed through the rest of his shift.

Unfortunately for the slumbering swordsman, Robin had been eyeing his activities and quickly bloomed a long line of hands to catch the wad of paper before it fell into the water.

The next morning the archeologist was torn between revealing the paper to the chef or not. The words had been beautiful, but she wasn't surprised. She suspected there was a lot more in the way of softer things the swordsman kept hidden about himself. She couldn't show it to Nami. The woman would just torture the green haired man. She settled for "accidentally" leaving it next to the kitchen sink. Zoro wouldn't wake up until about ten, since he'd taken the late watch, so he wouldn't have time to make an interception.

Her plan worked flawlessly and she sat quietly sipping tea at the table as she watched Sanji pick up the paper and read it. She watched from the corner of her eye as he ran his fingers over the words written down then slowly press the piece of paper to his chest.

"Cook-san, is something wrong? What's that piece of paper?"

"Ah-. Ah ha ha ha nothing, Robin-chwan! Just my poem from yesterday!" He quickly tucked the paper away and went about his morning meal routine. Robin smiled.

When Zoro finally woke up and made his way to the kitchen, Robin made sure the room was empty of other people. She couldn't help but smile and Nami noticed.

"What did you do this time? I know that look."

"Have you heard the saying, 'Poetry is the food of love?'"

Nami nodded.

Robin didn't say anything more.

Back in the kitchen Zoro looked around blearily and scratched his head, yawning. He sat down at the table and downed someone else's half drunk cup of coffee. It was cold. Sanji's hands trembled idiotically as he heaped some eggs and ham on a plate for the swordsman and poured him a hot cup of coffee. He nearly tripped over his own foot as he brought it to the table and the coffee spilled on his hand as he set it down.

"What's the matter with you?" Zoro said, eyeing the plate hungrily.

Sanji wiped his hand on his apron and sat down beside his rival/lover.

"Thought you said you weren't a poet."

Zoro raised his eyebrow quizzically as he munched on the ham. "Whuh?"

"Yesterday you said you weren't a poet, but you wrote… that."

Zoro hastily swallowed his ham.

_I threw it overboard. Didn't I? I swore I threw it overboard. I didn't actually watch it go in the water, the wind could've picked it up-_

"I don't know what you're talking about." He decided to feign ignorance in case Sanji wasn't talking about that stupid poem. Though what else he could be talking about Zoro had no idea.

"Yes you do you left it there for me to find! You're just throwing it in my face because I wrote about the girls!" Sanji said angrily.

"I didn't leave anything anywhere for you to find-"

Sanji pulled out the crumpled up paper and showed it to the bewildered swordsman. Said swordsman had the nasty feeling that his ham wasn't agreeing with his stomach at the moment.

"I threw that overboard damn it! You weren't supposed to find it!" Zoro snatched the paper and bolted from the kitchen. That damn paper was going overboard no matter what.

Sanji raced after him. There was no way that paper was going overboard. The chef caught up to the swordsman and wrestled him to the ground before he could toss the poem overboard. They fought and kicked against each other until they heard a nasty rip. Zoro held one side of the paper and Sanji the other.

"Damn it just give it to me!" Sanji stamped his foot, frustrated.

"Hell no! You weren't even supposed to see this shit there's no way I'm letting you keep it!"

"THEN WHY DID YOU PUT IT NEXT TO THE SINK MARIMO?!"

"I SAID I DIDN'T! I THREW IT OVERBOARD LAST NIGHT AHO COOK!"

"Ne, what are you two fighting about now?" Luffy said, coming around the corner. Sanji got an idea.

"If you don't give it to me I'll read it out loud."

Zoro paled. "You can't. You've only got half the words."

Sanji cleared his throat, prepared to begin reading.

"Fine shitty cook take it! Just shut up!" Zoro threw the half piece of paper at the cook and stomped off to the other side of the ship to furiously lift weights. He hadn't even got to finish his breakfast.

Sanji grabbed the other half of the paper, leaving Luffy standing there confused. He searched the kitchen drawers for the tape and hurriedly repaired the poem as best he could. His hands were shaking again.

"Shitty marimo didn't have to get so shitty about it…"

The scowled at each other all day and occasionally got into verbal spats. Zoro was fuming by the time he went up for night watch the second evening in a row. He had finally calmed down and was about to nap when he felt someone jostling the mast on their way up to the crow's nest. He looked down to see the stupid cook carrying something up. It was the shitty piece of paper.

Sanji shoved Zoro aside so he could have room to sit down.

"Teme…" Zoro warned.

"Oh just shut up you stupid old badger. I wanna talk about this." Sanji made himself comfortable as Zoro bristled like an angry cat.

"Why'd you write this?" Sanji asked, waiving the abused paper.

"Tch. Do I need a reason?"

"Yes."

"Well I don't and I did so can you let it go?!" Zoro made to grab for the paper but Sanji held it out of his reach. He supposed that was the best he was going to get out of the swordsman.

"Alright. I won't ask you about it anymore. But… here." Sanji reached in his pocket and held something out for the swordsman. Zoro took it. It was a wrapped piece of chocolate from the stash Sanji guarded so jealously.

"What's this?" The green haired man asked. Sanji knew he wasn't a huge fan of sweets.

Sanji looked away. "Well, Luffy's drawing and Chopper's poem was great and all but… I think yours was the winner. I… I guess that if someone were to fall in love… and I mean just anyone, not someone specific… they'd want to hear that from the person they fell in love with."

It was dark so Sanji couldn't see the hot blush on Zoro's cheeks.

They were quiet for several minutes before Zoro said, "It's just the truth. It's not anything special."

Sanji looked out to the ocean and smiled. "Yeah whatever."


End file.
